Pneumatic carrier



(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. MILES.

PNEUMATIC CARRIER.

Patented Nov. 3, 1891.

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0 I c I 1' E e X l 6? i I .i I I 1 g .fld D I 6* e I I e d 1 1,4 I I Qf/ 5/ 4 a d f lnvenior' (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. MILES.PNEUMATIC CARRIER.

Patented Nov.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. G.'MILES.

PNEUMATIC CARRIER.

No. 462,266. PatentedNov. 3, 1891.

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0.. WMnlnaToN u c STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE MILES, OF VELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS.

PNEUMATIC CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,266, dated November3, 1891.

Application filed March 24, 1891. Serial No. 386,20L (N0 model.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE MILES, of \Vellesley, Norfolk county,Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Pneumatic Carriers,of which the following is a specification.

These improvements relate to a pneumatic carrier the dispatch-tnbe ofwhich is open at both ends, and is hence under atmospheric pressure,except during the transmission through it of the message-box.

The invention consists in means for establishing a pressure ofcompressed air against a message-box which has been introduced into theopen end of the dispatch-tube at one station-that is to say, at thestation from which the message-box is to be transmittedand inmaintaining such pressure until the message-box has been driven to anddischarged from the open end of the dispatchtube at the distant station,and in then automatically releasing from obstruction the end of thedispatch-tube at the station from which the message-box has beentransmitted, so that a tree passage will be left for the dischargetherefrom of a message-box transmitted from the other station. Themechanism for ac complishing these purposes consists of a selfclosingvalve and an adjoining air-chamber, into one end of which thedispatch-tube is inserted, the other end having an opening which is inalignment with and is preferably of slightly greater diameter than thedispatch tube and which is provided with a hinged cover adapted to swingout of vertical alignment with the dispatclrtube. Vhen a message-boxintended for transmission has been introduced into the open end of thedispatchtube within the air-chamber, the hinged cover is manuallyclosed, and the valve is then opened by a lever pivoted to the end ofthe valve-stem and provided with an engaging latch, which, when thevalveoperating lever is rocked upon its pivot, is carried against theexterior of the hinged cover, which serves as a fulcrum during thefurther rocking of the lever by which the valve is removed from its seatagainst the pressure of an expanding spiral spring. \Vhen themessage-box has been transmitted,thelever is released. Thereupon thevalve-spring closes the valve, the valve-stem carries the lever bodilyupward or downward, as the case may be, and the engaging latch iswithdrawn from the path of movement of the hinged cover, which isconsequently permitted to be thrown open bygravity or by the pressure ofthe air expelled from the dispatch-tube during the transmission of amessage-box from a distant station, thus leaving a free path for thesubsequent discharge of the message-box itself from'the end of thedispatch-tube.

The accompanying drawings of pneumatic carriers employing the inventionare as follows:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the lower end portion of thedispatch-tube and of the valve and valve-chamber and an ad joiningair-chamber in which the end of the dispatcl1-tube is inserted, showingthe opening at the bottom closed by the hinged cover and showing avalve-operati n g leverprovided with alongitudinally-movable engaginglatch bearing against and holding the hinged cover upon its seat whilethe valve is open. Fig. 2 is a section similar to Fig. 1, excepting thatit shows the valve closed, the latch of the valve-operating leverwithdrawn from the path of the hinged cover and the hinged cover swungdownward, thus leaving a free path for the discharge of the message-boxfrom the lower end of the dispatch-tube. Fig. 3 illustrates amodification in the structure, which consists in making the engaginglatch an integral part of the operating-lever and shows in dotted linesthe hinged cover raised against its seat and valve-operating-lever inthe position which it occupies at the instant of. the engagement of itslatched end with the edge of the hinged cover and also shows in solidlines the Valve-lever in the position which it assumes when the valve isclosed upon its seat and the hinged cover swung downward. Fig. 4illustrates a modification of the organization represented in Fig. 8',adapting it for application to the upper open end of a verticaldispatch-tube.

The drawings represent the end portion of a dispatch-tube A, which isinserted in one end of and extends nearly to the opposite end of theair-chamber .13, having the opening B provided with the hinged cover I),faced with the elastic washer Z) for closing said opening when it isrequiredto transmit a message-box.

Adjoining the air-chamber is a valve-champressed air from a suitablesource. The valve D is held against its seat D by an expand:

ing spiral 'springD surrounding the valvestem d and abutting at one endagainst the valve D and at its opposite end against the inner face ofthe cap 0 screwed into the lower end of the valve-chamber and providedwith the stuffing-box c for suitably packing the valve-stem d. hen thevalve is open, compressed air is admitted from the valve-chambet 0through the port E into the compartment 6, which communicates with theairchamber B. The outer end 6 of the valvestem is pivotally connectedwith the valveoperating lever, which may either be formed in one pieceF, as represented in Figs. 3 and 4, or may be provided at one end with ahinged handle f and at the other end with a longitudinally-movableengaging latch f, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 3 the end of theoperating-lever, which forms the handle F, may, if desired, be madelighter than the opposite end of which the engaging latch F constitutesan integral part, in which case gravity will cause the valve-operatinglever, when the valve is closed, to rock into the position in which itis represented in solid lines in Fig. 3, and in which, as will be seen,its latched end is swung clear of the path of movement of the hingedcover I). If, however, theorganization is to be applied to the upper endof the dispatch-tube, the bandle F of the valve-operating lever may bemade heavier than thelatched end F or may have a weight hung upon it, sothat under the influence of gravity when the valve is closed the leverwill assume the position in which it is represented in Fig. 4:.

In all cases when power is applied in the appropriate direction to thehandle of the operating-lever, after the hinged cover b has been closed,the engaging latch is carried against the edge of the hinged cover I),which thereafter serves as the fulcrum upon which the engaging latchbears during the continued movement of the operating-lever by which thevalve D is removed from its seat.

When the hinged cover is applied to the lower end of an air-chamber intothe top of which the dispatch-tube is inserted, gravity causes it toswing away from its seat into the position represented in Figs. 2 and 3whenever the latched end of the valve-operating lever is withdrawn fromits path. It is to be remarked, however, that in the organizationillustrated in Fig. 3 the force of gravity, acting upon the hingedcover, plus the force of the compressed air acting upon the interior ofthe hinged cover during the transmission of a message-box from thedistant station, would ordinarily suffice to trip the valve-operatinglever out of its path, even if the latch end F of the valve-operatinglever should not be heavier than the handle end.

The hinged cover for the open upper end of the dispatch-tube may beprovided with the counter-weight Z9 mounted upon arms b one of which isshown in connection with the weight b in Fig. 4, so that when the coveris released from the latch end of the valve-operating lever thecounter-weight will cause the cover to swing completely open into theposition in which it is represented in solid lines in Fig. at. Theemployment ofacounterweighted hinged cover, however, is not in all casesessential, because the rush of air from the dispatch-tube willordinarily be sufficient to throw the hinged cover open when thevalve-operating lever is released from the force applied to it to openthe valve.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, the cylinder B may be cast integrally with theshell of the airchamber B, in which case the dispatch-tube, instead ofextending into the air-chamber B, may be merely inserted in the end ofthe airchamber in alignment with the cylinder B as shown.

When the valve is removed from its seat, compressed air is admitted intothe compartment 6 and thence into the air-chamber B, where its pressureis exerted upon the end of the message-box G, previously introduced intothe open end of the dispatch tube. When the cover Z) is closed, a studor projection 17 upon its inner face presses the message-box into thetube, so that the compressed air admitted into the air-chamber may flowaround the edge of the tube and act against the exposed end of themessage-box. WVhen the message-box has been transmitted, theoperating-lever is released from the pressure previously applied to itshandle, and thereupon the spring D returns the valve D to its seat,moving the operating-lever bodily, and thereby causing or permitting itto assume such a position that the engaging latch is withdrawn from thepath of movement of the hinged cover I).

If the longitudinally movable engaging latch re resented in Fi .1 is emlo ed then whenever the handle of the operating-lever is released theexpanding spiral spring D hearing at one end against the perforated headD of the hollow portion of the operatinglever and at the other endagainst the collar f affixed to the stem f of the yielding latch,retracts the latch f and rocks the hinged handlefinto the position inwhich it is represented in solid lines in Fig. 2. On the other hand, itthere is employed the engaging latch integral with the operating-lever,as represented in Fig. 3 or 4, then when the operating-lever is releasedthe latch end of the operating-lever, under the influence of gravawayfrom the bottom of the air-chamber B, and thus leave an unobstructedpath for the discharge of a message-box from the mouth of thedispatch-tube.

What is claimed as the invention is- 1. A pneumatic carrier composed ofa .dispatch-tube normally open at both ends for the reception anddischarge of message-boxes and having one end or having each of its twoends combined with transmitting apparatus consisting of an air-chamber,into one end of which the dispatch-tube is inserted, an opening in theopposite end of said air-chamloer, a hinged cover adapted to be manuallyplaced in position to close said opening, a valvechamber adjoining saidair-chamber, a manually-operative self-closing valve for controlling thesupply of compressed air from said valve-chamber to said air-chamber, avalveoperating lever for opening said valve and so long as said valve isopen holding said hinged cover in its closed position when a message-boxpreviously placed in the mouth of said dispatch-tube is to betransmitted, and a spring for closing said valve irrespective of theair-pressure when said valve-operating lever is released andconcurrently releasing and permitting said hinged cover to swing open.

2. The air-chamber B, the dispatch-tube A, inserted therein and open atits end, the hinged cover I) for closing an opening in said air-chamberopposite the end of said dispatch-tube and provided with the projectionb and a valve for admitting into said airchamber a suitable quantity ofcompressed air to drive through said dispatch-tube amessage-boxpreviously inserted in the open end thereof.

3. The valve D, the valve-stem d, an operating-lever pivoted thereto,the air-chamber B, and the hinged cover b for closing the opening in theend of said air-chamber and for serving when closed as the fulcrum forsaid valve-operating lever, in combination with the valve-sprin g DGEORGE MILES.

Witnesses:

A. M. JONES, J. E. BURNS.

